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. 2023 Jan;36(1):52-62.
doi: 10.1177/08919887221090220. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression in Parkinson's Disease: A Feasibility Study

Diana Koszycki  1   2   3 , Monica Taljaard  1   4 , Cary Kogan  1 , Jacques Bradwejn  1   2   5 , David Grimes  1   3   4
Affiliations

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression in Parkinson's Disease: A Feasibility Study

Diana Koszycki et al. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Individuals living with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience interpersonal stressors that contribute to depressive risk. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) emphasizes the bidirectional relationship between interpersonal stressors and mood may therefore be a suitable treatment for PD-depression. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of delivering 12 sessions of IPT to depressed PD patients and explore the need for modifications. A secondary aim was to obtain descriptive information about efficacy outcomes. The study used a pre-post design without a comparison group. Participants were 12 PD patients with a major depressive disorder. IPT was well accepted and tolerated by patients and required minimal modifications. Compliance with session attendance and completion of study questionnaires were excellent and treatment satisfaction was high. Depression scores declined from baseline to endpoint, with 7 patients meeting criteria for remission at endpoint. Findings are encouraging and a larger randomized controlled trial is currently underway to ascertain if IPT is an efficacious treatment for PD-depression.

Keywords: IPT; Parkinson’s disease; depression; feasibility study; interpersonal psychotherapy; psychotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure A1.
Figure A1.
Flow of participants during the study.
Figure A2.
Figure A2.
Spaghetti plot of BDI-II scores during acute IPT treatment. Note: Based on 11 participants who had complete data for each time point.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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